Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape in Inside Trading, AFL.com.au's dedicated column for player movement. Find out the latest on contracts, deals, trades, draftees, rules, agents and who is going where from the AFL.com.au team.

DEE KEEN TO STAY

MELBOURNE is in discussions with Kade Chandler on a new deal, with the unrestricted free agent keen to stay at the Dees. 

Chandler is one of the in-form small forwards in the game and is in for the biggest deal of his career, with the Demon one of Steven King's best players so far this year.

The 26-year-old, who hails from rural South Australia, had been comfortable getting games under his belt before opening talks but those discussions have recently kicked off. There has been strong rival interest in Chandler but he is keen to remain at the club and sort a new longer-term deal. 

Chandler, one of Melbourne's rookie gems, has been a consistent member of the Demons' line-up over the past four seasons, playing 78 of a possible 80 games since the end of 2022. 

He is one of three free agents at the Demons in discussions on a new deal, alongside Tom Sparrow and restricted free agent Bayley Fritsch, who has been moving closer to a new deal to remain at the Dees. 

Chandler has kicked 11 goals from nine games this season and is the No.3-rated general forward in the competition this year, according to Champion Data. – Callum Twomey

CROWS FREE AGENT WEIGHS OFFER

ADELAIDE has put a four-year offer on the table for unrestricted free agent Jordon Butts, who sits at the top of the key defender carousel set to heat up in the second half of this season.

Butts has been content to take his time in his free agency decision, with the Crows having tabled their offer earlier in the year with a deal that would take him through to 2030.

The Western Bulldogs remain an active pursuer of Butts after last year showing interest in him during the trade period while under contract as the Dogs aggressively hit the key defender market. 

Butts sits atop the queue of key defenders in this year's group given his unrestricted free agency status, with Dogs backman Buku Khamis also considering his options while the Bulldogs up their offer to three years to keep him.

Brisbane remains interested in Essendon defender Jordan Ridley, while Gold Coast's Charlie Ballard has also come on the radar of clubs after missing out on selection for the Suns. 

Collingwood's Billy Frampton has started talks on an extension at the Pies, where he wants to play on beyond this season. – Callum Twomey

US GIANT TO TRIAL FOR CLUBS

A 223cm basketballer is among the American athletes selected to trial in the upcoming US Combine next month.

There have been nine athletes from around America picked to trial in the June Combine in Dallas, with more to be added to the group in coming weeks.

One of the first contingent of athletes is Matthew Van Komen, who is a basketballer from Utah currently attending Marshall University. Van Komen is the tallest of the nine athletes, measuring at 7'4" – or about 223cm.

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If he was successful in landing a Category B rookie spot at a club later this season, he would easily be the tallest ever player on an AFL list. 

The AFL has targeted even taller players to trial this year compared to last year, with five of the group so far standing at least seven foot tall – basketballers Jasper Reinalda, AJ Labeau, Kesean Shillingford, Cyril Martynov and Van Komen.

Volleyballer Ben Braun and basketballers Camden Dunbury, Davis Ambuehl and Hayden Curtiss are also in the initial group, with Curtiss the only returning member from last year's squad of trialists. 

Curtiss, who stands 6'10", was the tallest of last year's group and was one of two US athletes to come to Australia to show their wares at four clubs – Gold Coast, Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn.

Clubs have been asked by the AFL to inform them by the end of this week whether they will be attending this year's three-day Combine, which will have 2004 Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams on deck for skills training as well as remotely in the lead-up. – Callum Twomey

DOCKER SET FOR EXTENSION

COREY Wagner's career resurrection at Fremantle is set to continue for at least two more years.

The 29-year-old has played 47 games for the Dockers since being recruited from Port Melbourne at the end of 2022, including all nine to start 2026.

Wagner started his AFL journey at North Melbourne and played eight games between 2016 and 2017, then earned another shot at Melbourne after spending 2018 at Casey. 

After two seasons at Port Melbourne, Fremantle offered him another lifeline and now he is proving to be another mature-age winner under David Walls and David McMullin's watch at the Dockers.

The Dockers have offered Wagner a deal through to 2028 and will start working on an extension for Sam Switkowski soon.

The unrestricted free agent is attracting interest back home in Victoria, but the Dockers are keen to extend the pressure forward.

Matt Johnson has started talks on a new deal at Fremantle, while veteran midfielder Jaeger O'Meara is out of contract in October and recovering from a face injury, with contract discussions to be held later in the season. - Josh Gabelich 

TIGERS VFL TO CONTINUE MID-SEASON RUN? 

RICHMOND is considering promoting from within the club at this month's Mid-Season Rookie Draft. 

Sam Toner, Ned Renfree, Mutaz El Nour and Zaydyn Lockwood are all understood to be options the Tigers are looking at. 

Richmond's VFL program has produced some guns in recent years, especially at this time of year. Tom McCarthy was selected at pick No.1 last May, while Sam Durham, Massimo D'Ambrosio, Archie May and James Trezise all wore the yellow and black before being taken mid-year. 

Toner has caught the attention of recruiters to start 2026, kicking 13.12 from the first six games, with the Western Bulldogs also looking at the Narre Warren product. 

Richmond has a spot open following the season-ending knee surgery for Josh Gibcus, while the Dogs are set to take one player after Sam Darcy ruptured his ACL. 

The Dogs also plan to meet with El Nour, who has played 71 VFL games, but after winning Richmond's VFL best and fairest last year, the intercept defender has taken another step at the age of 24. 

With Tim English battling different injury issues this year, the Western Bulldogs are also understood to be scouring the ruck market ahead of May 25. 

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They met with 203cm ruck-forward Tom Scully last week, while North Adelaide's Alex Van Wyk and West Adelaide's Caleb May - who are both in the SANFL squad to play the WAFL - are on their radar, along with Carlton's Flynn Riley. 

Both Richmond and the Western Bulldogs are two clubs doing work on Geelong defender/midfielder Marcus Herbert, who is attracting as much attention as anyone ahead of the Mid-Season Rookie Draft, while West Coast has also met with the 23-year-old. – Josh Gabelich

SUNS DEFENDER SET TO ADD ANOTHER YEAR

GOLD Coast defender Oscar Adams is on track to hit a contract trigger for 2027 after an impressive recent spell in the Suns' backline.

Adams has recently supplanted Charlie Ballard to become a key part of Gold Coast's defence, playing in 14 of a possible 19 games since making his AFL debut for the Suns last year.

The key defender was initially drafted to St Kilda but didn't manage a game before being delisted in 2023, returning to the SANFL with Glenelg and then earning a second opportunity at Gold Coast in last year's mid-season draft.

He played eight games in the back half of last season, earning a one-year extension with a trigger for 2027 that is now close to being hit. – Riley Beveridge

PLAYERS' FINES KITTY DROPS

THE UPLIFT in the salary cap this year hasn't been the only financial win for players' hip pockets this season. 

Up to the end of round eight this year, there has been a 66 per cent reduction in player fines via the Match Review Officer. 

To the end of the round before last, players had been fined $89,875, which is down from $176,750 from the same time in 2025, when there had been $266,625 worth of fines. 

The extreme drop in fines is due to a combination of factors, including the changed fines structure for this season after discussions with the AFL Players Association earlier in the year, as well as suspensions for strikes rather than fines and improved player behaviour.

"People and commentators talk about if a player gets a fine they've been let off, well, no they haven't. If you talked to most players, the thing they hate most is to pay a fine," MRO Michael Christian told AFL.com.au this week.

"It comes back to changing behaviour. We fined a lot of players last year for gut punches and they have been suspensions this year. There's been drop-offs in other areas as well." – Callum Twomey